April 2018

Bruce Trujillo looked at a dozen boats bobbing for position in the water around him. Choosing a path, he flipped a couple of Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow deep divers in the boat’s wake and began trolling for Atlantic bonito.

Fish can be caught any number of ways, but MirrOlures hold a special place with a number of saltwater fishermen, especially those who spend time in inshore waters.

Fishermen having trouble choosing a month to target largemouth bass on the three lakes around the Raleigh-Durham area can get answers from two groups — serious anglers or biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission — and they can take those recommendations to the bank(s).

Getting your string stretch by a trophy striper can happen year-round at Clarks Hill Lake, aka Lake Thurmond, but if you want to boost your odds for trophy fish, go now.

With the introduction of Florida-strain largemouth bass into southern California in 1959, fish weighing as much as 20 pounds made that state’s waters treasured fishing grounds for the next world-record fish. Twenty-one of the heaviest 25 bass ever caught have come from California waters, mostly the San Diego city lakes.

As the sun thaws out the Carolinas after a chilly winter, spring is welcomed, especially by fishermen with an affinity for taming big largemouth bass in shallow water. With endless lure combinations available, there is more than one way to land a heavy stringer. 

For the six weeks or so, we won’t be at breakfast very often. We’ll fall asleep early, while you’re barely finished watching Jeopardy after supper. Our fingers will be chalk-stained, and we’re not even teachers. We’ll have bags under the bags under our eyes. If we’re outside in the backyard during any daylight hours, you might find us looking for a big, thick tree truck to sit down against. Somebody from the office might call home to ask where we are and if we’re coming into work.

April is the top month for the bass spawn in both Carolinas, and there is nothing like setting the hook on a sho’nuff bucketmouth from a small plastic boat. The beauty of kayak bass fishing is that it’s hard to find a body of freshwater in either Carolinas that doesn’t hold bass. 

The flooded cypress and gum tree forests and the abundance of shallow vegetation of Santee Cooper is Ground Zero for some of the best panfish action in South Carolina. Bull bream and super-sized shellcrackers abound, and anglers armed with the basic techniques of how, when and where to fish for this dynamic duo have an opportunity to limit on either species or a combination of both.

Dusty Anders of Deville was excited when he called an outdoor writer in early February. The 50-year-old firefighter, an avid bass angler and part-time fishing guide, had just boated an 8-pound bass on one of his favorite new soft plastics. 

Pests challenge farmers and food-plot developers every time seeds hit the dirt. Weeds, grasses and other competing vegetation are the chief pests that will ruin a food plot’s success. 

Modern advancements in technology have made it easier than ever to be a successful archer. Tools such as compound bows with high let- offs, electronic rangefinders, magnified fiber-optic bow sights, fall-away arrow rests and many other advancements have changed our sport forever.  

It's time to put one of your fresh spring gobblers on the table. This recipe is a delicious way to dish it up.

Beginning around the middle of March and continuing through May, mountain streams start warming up, browns, rainbows and brook trout become active and hungry, and mountain anglers enjoy some of the best trout fishing of the year.

Most people who know bass fishing understand that I feel most comfortable when I’ve got a crankbait tied on. So when bass go really shallow in the spring, that makes things tough on me, but anyone who likes fishing crankbaits can still catch plenty of fish.

Braided fishing line is a mainstay among anglers, but this product has only gained popularity in the lifetime of many people reading this. Most never heard of braided line at younger ages, but they’re now using it regularly and would feel lost without it during certain fishing situations. But for all its good qualities, it’s not always the best line to use.